Sympathetic nerve blocks.
Stellate, lumbar sympathetic, celiac plexus.
Image-guided blocks of the sympathetic nervous system for CRPS, vascular pain, visceral pain, and oncologic pain — conditions where the sympathetic chain is driving the symptoms.
Quiet the sympathetic nervous system at a specific level.
The sympathetic nervous system controls vascular tone, sweating, and a portion of pain transmission. In conditions like complex regional pain syndrome, certain post-amputation pain, abdominal cancer pain, and pelvic pain, sympathetic signaling becomes part of the pain pathology. A sympathetic block delivers local anesthetic, sometimes with steroid, to a specific ganglion or plexus, interrupting the signaling. The result is both diagnostic and often therapeutic.
A family of procedures targeting the chain at different levels.
We perform stellate ganglion blocks at the base of the neck for upper-extremity CRPS, complex post-traumatic pain, and certain head and face pain. Lumbar sympathetic blocks target the lower-extremity chain for CRPS of the leg, phantom limb pain, and peripheral vascular pain. Celiac plexus blocks treat upper abdominal pain from pancreatic cancer or chronic pancreatitis. Hypogastric and ganglion impar blocks treat pelvic and perineal pain. Every block is performed under fluoroscopic or ultrasound guidance.
For diagnoses where the sympathetic chain is part of the pain mechanism.
Sympathetic blocks are appropriate for complex regional pain syndrome (the strongest indication), refractory peripheral neuropathy with vasomotor features, phantom limb pain, oncologic pain in the upper abdomen or pelvis, and certain refractory headache patterns. They are not a first-line treatment for routine musculoskeletal pain.
A series, not a single block.
Sympathetic blocks are typically delivered as a short series — often three blocks over two to four weeks — because each block extends the durability of relief from the prior. Patients with CRPS in particular often respond best when blocks are paired with intensive physical therapy in the window of pain relief each block creates. Same-day discharge after observation.
Stop accepting the downtime.
The right block in the right ganglion can change a chronic pain syndrome. Schedule a consultation at any Triumph location.